Frequently Asked Questions
Can Dynamis deliver training in-house for my team?
Yes! We deliver on-site training all over the UK for teams in a variety of environments. Courses are tailored specifically to the needs of each service or team we work with. We specialise in visiting your team at your venue to deliver a course relevant for your workplace.
We do not currently run ‘open’ practitioner courses which individuals can register themselves for.
How long will Dynamis need to train my team?
Our courses can range in depth from one-day awareness courses up to fully certificated practitioner courses of three-days in length. The length and extent of training you want us to deliver is always decided by you, your team and your needs. Read more about our range of courses here.
How much will training my team cost?
We charge a daily rate for one of our trainers to come and deliver training to your team, however the cost can be as low as £50 per person, per day, depending on the type of course, the accreditation required and the specialism of the trainer needed.
Can Dynamis accredit my staff team?
All of our core courses are accredited with Edexcel, the national awarding body for vocational qualifications, and are certificated to BTEC standards. Our courses are centered around methods of non-physical and physical intervention which have been fully risk-assessed and are approved by the National Federation for Personal Safety which is a recognised authority on the development of guidance and skills for dealing with occupational violence in the UK. Read more about our Accreditation here.
Is Dynamis training Accredited?
Certainly YES!
Our courses are:
- Vocationally certificated to BTEC Level 2 Practitioner level
- Educationally accredited by the UK's largest awarding body, Edexcel
- Legally audited for compliance with the Human Rights Act through the National Federation for Personal Safety
- Technically Approved by UK national-governing body level physical skills specialists
- Risk Assessed for safety and operational risk reduction
Our NFPS-approved training has been independently audited by a barrister at law and reviewed by Gary Slapper, Head of the Law Faculty at the Open University, by Michael Mansfield QC and by John Wadham (one of the leading Human Rights lawyers in the UK). All of our courses are compliant with the relevant legal requirements of the sectors and environments in which they are delivered, for example:
The Department for Health guidance on Restrictive Physical Interventions with Vulnerable Children and Adults (2002)
The Children Act 1989 and associated Government guidance documents
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
The Education Act 1997
The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006
The Education and Inspections Act 2006
Common and Criminal Law on the use of force
The Human Rights Act 1998
Health & Safety at Work statute and the appropriate Management Regulations
The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008
National Minimum Standards for Care Homes Guidance
Furthermore, our training has undergone a full risk assessment (which is available to you to review if required) and a thorough medical review by Doctor Anthony Bleetman in relation to the techniques being taught. Our insurance cover extends to £5 million and we have a number of expert witnesses on staff.
Does Dynamis training cover legal guidance?
All of our courses include in-depth legal guidance about the use of force to restrain, about the health and safety aspects of occupational violence and the human rights issues involved. Contributors to this legally-audited guidance include: Professor Gary Slapper, head of the law faculty of the Open University, John Wadham, Legal Director of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Professor Michael Mansfield, Q.C. Read more about our legal compliance here.
What about BILD Accreditation?
As an accredited provider of BTEC-accredited vocational qualifications in physical restraint, licensed by the National Federation for Personal Safety (NFPS), then we are very aware of the BILD Accreditation Scheme and its requirements. I have attached here an article written by Mark Dawes from NFPS explaining why the BILD accreditation scheme, while acknowledged by some to be a 'hard' standard, is possibly not an adequate measure of the quality of training a provider may be delivering.
Mark Dawes, the author of several books, including "Understanding Unreasonable Force, the use of force with Children and Young People" has written a very pointed report on the status of BILD ‘Accreditation’ with respect to the due-diligence required of managers.
Most recently the Department of Health has removed references to BILD accreditation from its guidance.
Indeed we have pointed out to many professionals, especially in the Children's care sector, some of the results of the 'independent review of physical restraint with young people' carried out by the Ministry of Justice in 2008:
“The BILD Physical Interventions Accreditation Scheme does not extend to accrediting the actual techniques and holds
used but accredits the organisation and trainers involved in delivering the training in a restraint method.”
“[T}here needs to be consistent independent review of the safety of...techniques and of the training and
trainers used.... The BILD accreditation system does not adequately fill that gap.”
INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF RESTRAINT, Ministry of Justice, December 2008
In short, we are aware of the BILD accreditation scheme but choose, until such time as it becomes a 'hard' standard, to rely instead on our legal and professional due-diligence through our partners to ensure that our training is relevant to the environments in which we work, suitable to the risks identified in those workplaces and of a high quality standard which is robust under operational or legal tests.
Who else does Dynamis provide training for?
Our list of clients is broad and covers many different sectors, from care to security. Our list of over 100 clients includes NHS trusts, Police and Prison Services, Local Authority Social Care departments, Housing Associations and well-known organisations such as:
- Barnardos
- Mencap
- Disabilities Trust
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust
- Erskine Care
- Camphill Communities
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-Crossroads Care
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-United Arab Emirates Healthcare Authorities
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-Critical National Infrastructure Agency
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-UK Border Agency
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-Prison Service
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-The State Hospital
Many of our most loyal clients are small or privately-run residential care-homes, private hospitals and charities. Read their feedback here.
Why do I need to provide training for my staff?
Employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees [HSWA 1974 s2(1)]
“Where violent incidents are forseeable employers have a duty under section 2 to identify the nature and extent of the risk and to devise measures which provide a safe workplace and a system of work”
- Lord Skelmersdale, DHSS Advisory Committee on Violence to Staff
Read more about legal compliance here.
Can I just book one day of training, to cover everything?
Our professional, specialist trainers will deliver the most comprehensive training we can in the time you allocate to us. Typically, the more frequent and more severe the risk of violence to staff in your environment, then the more time should be devoted to training them to prevent and manage it. Your risk assessments and your training needs analysis will identify how much time should be allocated to this training.
“Many nurses do not receive specific training in techniques of restrictive physical intervention... and as a result lack confidence in using these techniques. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on enabling nurses to acquire knowledge and skills through the provision of locally based training programmes. It is recommended that organisations undertake an organisation-wide risk assessment to assess particular risks in each clinical area and thus identify staff training needs.”
Royal College of Nursing Guidance for Nursing Staff, 2010
How safe are the techniques we teach?
We DO NOT teach techniques that SHOULD NOT BE TAUGHT.
Unfortunately we still come across people today who have been taught techniques that increase the risk of injury and even the risk of death. Some of those techniques have been actively discouraged and proscribed by government guidance for many years.
The skills we teach have been thoroughly assessed and audited for the primary purpose of reducing the risk of injury and death.
All of our techniques and procedures are evidence-based and supported with evidential documentation to prove that what we are teaching is consistent with not only good practice, but also that it is legally compliant with the requirements of law.
Can I get some policy advice in addition to the training?
We regularly provide additional advice and consultation to our clients, in addition to our training mandate. This includes pre-training needs analysis, situational and scenario analysis to find best-fit solutions and overall risk-assessment of violence in the workplace through audits.
In the meantime, we provide a Policy Development Guide for those who need a place to start!
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Call our Office: 0844 812 9795
Email: info@dynamis-insight.com
